How To Become A Referral Coordinator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a referral coordinator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

A referral coordinator manages and coordinates patient referrals between healthcare providers. They act as a liaison between patients, doctors, and insurance providers to process referrals. Referral coordinators also verify insurance, obtain medical records, schedule appointments, and communicate with providers to ensure continuity of care. They must be organized and detail-oriented, with communication skills and a thorough understanding of medical terminology and insurance. A referral coordinator ensures patients receive care in a timely and effective manner.

ScoreReferral CoordinatorUS Average

Salary

2.7

Avg. Salary $35,179

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.2

Growth rate -8%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.2

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.37%

Asian 3.77%

Black or African American 9.57%

Hispanic or Latino 11.96%

Unknown 3.77%

White 70.56%

Gender

female 89.82%

male 10.18%

Age - 51

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 51

Stress level

7.2

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

4.7

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

9.3

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a referral coordinator?

Pros

Room for growth in the healthcare industry
Opportunity to learn about different medical specialties
Can lead to higher pay and job security
Provides a good work-life balance with regular business hours
Provides opportunities for creativity in finding solutions for patients' needs

Cons

Can be emotionally taxing when dealing with patients in distress or difficult providers
Can be repetitive and monotonous at times
May involve dealing with angry or frustrated patients or providers
May require working evenings or weekends to accommodate patients' schedules
May require dealing with sensitive patient information and legal issues

Key steps to become a referral coordinator

Explore referral coordinator education requirements

Most common referral coordinator degrees

Bachelor's

31.1 %

Associate

23.8 %

High School Diploma

16.2 %

Start to develop specific referral coordinator skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	29.58%
Customer Service	11.80%
Medical Terminology	6.65%
Patient Care	4.38%
Data Entry	4.09%

Complete relevant referral coordinator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New referral coordinators learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a referral coordinator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real referral coordinator resumes.

Gain additional referral coordinator certifications

Referral coordinator certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific referral coordinator certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for referral coordinators include Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA) and Certified Medical Office Manager (CMOM).

More About Certifications

Research referral coordinator duties and responsibilities

Establish rapport with all PCP offices, hospital personnel, and manage care representatives.
Ensure CPT and ICD-9 coding are accurate and complete according to AMA's guidelines and for third party intermediaries.
Contact medical insurance companies and provide ICD-9 diagnosis and CPT procedure codes for patient's illness, condition or injury.
Apply ICD-9 and CPT-4 codes to complete referral requests online or via fax.

Prepare your referral coordinator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your referral coordinator resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a referral coordinator resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable referral coordinator resume templates

Build a professional referral coordinator resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your referral coordinator resume.